I swear next time we move, I'm going to sell all our old stuff and buy new stuff at the new place. My help didn't show up to help load the truck in Joliet on Saturday. So it took me 6 hours to load all the nice, heavy furniture and boxes myself. And then the odyssey of driving a 17 foot truck with Deb and 2 cats following in her Toyota (with expired plates) 200 miles to Dubuque. We got in some traffic around Bettendorf, IA and got separated and she missed the turnoff onto US 61 and kept going hoping to catch me. In the end, I told her to stay put 20 miles down the road and I'd come get her. We were supposed to have gotten to Dubuque around 5. We got there around 9. My friend Jerome and my landlord Aaron came over to help and we had the whole truck unloaded in an hour.

So 95% of our stuff is now in the house in no particular order. The whole house has been remodeled so it truly was like moving into a new house. New house smell and everything. The cats seem to like all the new places to explore. The breakfast nook/dining room is absolutely divine. The sun warms it up until about 2 and it's a fabulous place to sit and read.

My back hates me right now. I need a massage. I had to take the rental truck back to Joliet yesterday, pick up my car and another load of stuff from the old house. I was exhausted and had to pull over twice at truck stops to catch a nap. One more trip back over next weekend to clean and then we can enjoy our new place.

I'm in my new and empty office today in Dubuque. Empty because all my office stuff is packed up in boxes at home. I'll have fun decorating tomorrow.